The plaudit will also help increase admission levels outside Paris, said MFI’s Nicholas Kaiser. Produced by Buenos Aires’ La Union de los Rios, “Wild Ones” has also won a distribution support prize at Brussels’ Cinedecouvertes Film Fest this summer.

Deals marks early sales on one of a trio of recent Latin American titles at Artscope, which was set up by Memento when the producer-distributor-sales house moved into larger crossover titles after Laurent Cantet’s MFI-sold “The Class” won Cannes 2008 Palme d’Or.

Acquiring films at rough-cut from first-time or up-and-coming directors and splitting revenues, Artscope is “a lab,” said MFI’s Kaiser.

“Especially in today’s environment, where so many films, are made, it’s good to have a company with international industry relationships thatcan also oversee festivals runs and non-commercial circuit distribution. Those relationships may even help a director make his second film,” Kaiser added.